


Girl, 19, just wants normal relationship with in-laws.

by lysiabeth



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 16:53:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15247680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lysiabeth/pseuds/lysiabeth
Summary: Steph walked into the room fully, surprised as always at how clean it was, and threw herself onto the wheelie chair, spinning around slightly.“I honestly just didn’t think about it. I’ve been helping out at the shelter for years now, I assumed everyone knew.” Steph said, and Titus yawned on a the bed, a loud whine, grunting as he pushed his head into Damian’s thigh. Damian stroked one ear, his full attention now on the dog.Steph sighed.





	Girl, 19, just wants normal relationship with in-laws.

**Author's Note:**

> So this takes place after Steph's Batgirl run but that's really the only information I can give you regarding the timeline following that.
> 
> Un-beta'd as per.

“And don’t ever talk to me again!” Damian screeched, his small hands wrapping around the door to slam it with full force.

Stephanie stilled, halfway up the staircase, and winced as the large door slammed with a deafening bang. Steph looked over the balustrade, spying Cass who had popped her head around the corner to investigate the noise.

“He found out about your dog walking job?” Cass asked, and Steph nodded.

“He found out about my dog walking job.”

Cass huffed a laugh and disappeared for a second, likely talking to someone else in the other room.

“Tim said he’s just made your name ‘Ultimate Traitor’ in the group chat.” Cass supplied, her head popping back around the corner, and Steph huffed, slumping down on the stairs to pull out her phone and look for herself.

A new notification popped up.

 

_‘Damian NOT Squirt stop calli’ has removed ‘Ultimate Traitor’ from the group chat._

 

“You think it’s safe for me to go in there?” Steph asked, squishing her face against the oak pillars, staring down at Cass who was also on her phone, leaning up against the doorway. She gave no answer, just a slow thumbs up, typing away with her other hand.

Steph sighed dramatically.

“Here I go… Your only girlfriend… About to face the wrath of an angry eleven year old…” Pulling herself to her feet, Steph made her way up the stairs and along the hallway until she came to Damian’s door.

She knocked twice, and a muffled “What?” could be heard.

Twisting the door knob, Steph slowly inched the door open, peeking her head around. Damian had moved his bed again, this time it sitting under the large window in his room. He was sat on it, his phone in his hand, his other hand patting Titus behind the ears as he snored.

“Bit high on the theatrics, don’t you think?” Steph asked, and Damian slumped.

“I-” A sniff. “I just think it was selfish of you to keep such information from me, especially as you know how much I love dogs and I love helping people, and your ‘ _job_ ’ involves both.” He explained. Steph didn’t know why he put the sour emphasis on the word job, wondered if she’d have to have another talk with Dick about telling Damian that some people don’t have multi-billionaires as fathers and equally as rich assassin slash empire leader mothers. Steph walked into the room fully, surprised as always at how clean it was, and threw herself onto the wheelie chair, spinning around slightly.

“I honestly just didn’t think about it. I’ve been helping out at the shelter for years now, I assumed everyone knew.” Steph said, and Titus yawned on a the bed, a loud whine, grunting as he pushed his head into Damian’s thigh. Damian stroked one ear, his full attention now on the dog.

Steph sighed.

“I’m walking them tomorrow if… If you wanted to come? I usually go after my midday class but I can call the shelter, tell them I’m coming in later with some extra help.” Steph said, and Damian paused where he was stroking Titus, his head flicking towards her before looking back down at the bed spread again.

“I can skip my afternoon classes. I’m already excelling in all my classes, I won’t miss anything.” Damian said, slow, and Steph laughed.

“Bruce is already out for my blood, breaking his kid out of school wouldn’t get me any extra points with him.”

“Dra- Tim used to skip school all the time.” Damian said, and Steph raised her brow. Tim was a new development. She wondered when that had started.

“Yeah, but look where that left him.” Steph said, and Damian let out a laugh before he could stop himself. It was mean, maybe, but it wasn’t like it was false. Since dropping out of senior year halfway through, Tim spent his days dropping in to Steph’s classes uninvited, out in Smallville, hanging around the Teen Titans tower uninvited, or prying into Wayne Enterprise files he wasn’t strictly allowed into.

“I suppose. I will talk to Alfred and get him to drop me to the shelter once school has finished.” Damian said, standing now. Titus made another noise, low in his throat, at being disturbed. Steph watched as Damian approached her, his hand out. She assumed he was going for a handshake of sorts, but instead he was pulling at her elbow, up and off the chair, pushing her towards the door.

“See you tomorrow.” He said, and Steph was about to ask him if he even knew what shelter he was meant to be asking Alfred to drop him to, but the door shut quietly in her face.

Wayne boys. Totally typical behaviour. Steph made her way back downstairs, wondering if Cass would rewind the movie they had been watching for her, or if she’d have to annoy her into getting told the bits of plot she’d missed while talking to Damian.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Damian was still in his school uniform when Steph arrived, him and Alfred leaning against the Volvo which had been parked outside the shelter entrance.

Steph pulled out her headphones and waved, getting a smile from Alfred in return and a nod from Damian.

Small steps, Steph reminded herself. If her and Cass were going to elope like they liked to (mostly) joke about, then she needed to be on good terms with all of her future brother-in-laws. Even those who didn’t laugh at her jokes.

“Afternoon, Miss Stephanie.” Alfred said.

“Afternoon Alfred, Damian. What’s the buzz?” She asked, and Damian sighed, his whole little chest rising under his blazer.

“Nothing is ‘the buzz’. Can we go in?” Damian asked, and Steph looked at him closer; noticed how he was clenching his fingers real tight, that he’d taken his tie off, how his eyes were lit up. The kid was excited, literally bouncing with it, and Steph grinned.

“Sure! You might want to take your blazer off - do you have another jacket? Some of the dogs malt a lot.” Steph said, and then Alfred was moving to the passenger door and opening it, pulling out another jacket for Damian as Damian pulled off his blazer.

The door to the shelter opened, and Steph turned, smiling.

“Angela!”

“Stephanie! This is the friend you were talking about?” Angela asked. She was a tall woman with her brown hair pulled back into a high ponytail. She was wearing her usual get up of jeans and a t-shirt, and Steph sent Damian a look as Angela went over to him, her hand outstretched. Steph watched Damian take her hand and shake it gingerly, Alfred watching the woman as she did so.

“Damian Wayne. Pleasure to meet you. I am very grateful you’ve allowed me to join Steph in helping out at your shelter.” Damian said, polite as ever in new company, and Angela’s eyebrows rose.

“How polite! No need to thank me, I should be thanking you. Shall we go inside? The dogs will be waiting for you, Stephanie.” Angela said, and Damian turned to Alfred.

“I will be here at five-thirty on the dot, Master Damian.” Alfred said, pulling his keys out of his jacket pocket. Steph waved at him, then motioned for Damian to follow Angela into the shelter. He was wearing a jumper that Steph recognised, and she tugged on the hood of it.

“This is Cass’s.” Steph said.

“Well, I’m wearing it, and have been for the past week, so it’s mine now.”

“You know I used to wear that all the time, right?” Steph asked, and Damian paused in his steps before turning to her slowly.

“You taint everything good in the Wayne household, Brown.” Damian said, and Steph hoped he was mostly joking. Everyone was mostly past the fact that Steph had crawled into the Wayne family, a few elbow jabs and scratches with it, planting herself down and refusing to move. Becoming Batgirl with Babs approval had helped, and then her and Cass officially dated meant Bruce didn’t glare at her ninety percent of the time anymore. But still.

Maybe Damian noticed Steph’s forced smile, because he gulped a little, hiding his face.

“I didn’t- My sister loves you very much.” He says, and Steph nods.

“I love her too.” Steph answers, unsure what else to say, and Damian nods. Steph nods back. Damian holds his hands together again. Angela walks in, the leads in her hands, and Damian turns to her.

“Again, I’m so glad you were able to help Stephanie out. We have such a lack of volunteers these days so some of the smaller dogs miss out on walks because we need to make sure the bigger ones get enough exercise. This place is the most crowded it’s been in years.” Angela explains. Steph has heard it all before, it makes her feel guilty she can only work so many hours here these days, but anytime Angela finds out she’s skipped a class to help out she just tells her off for it.

They make their way out to the back where the kennels are kept, and the dogs all jump to attention, tails wagging and some whining, claws scratching against the cages. Steph leans down next to one of them, putting her fingers through the cage and met with a slobbery mouth.

“Oh Lulu, you flirty thing!” Steph says, reaching for the latch. Angela drops the lead by her for Steph to attach to the lead to her collar, and the one year old German shepherd bounces out, her tail swishing against Steph’s legs as she makes her sit. Angela is placing the leads on two other dogs, whereas Damian is still sat in front of one of the cages. Steph knows exactly which, and she walks over with Lulu, coming to stand by Damian.

“That is not a dog. That’s a- A horse.” Damian says.

Ace the great dane. Mostly. Angela says it’s likely he’s crossed with a few other breeds, but the shelter doesn’t have the funds for DNA testing anymore.

“Can he come with us?” Damian asks, looking up at Steph, and Steph hesitates. He’s huge. She’s walked him once which turned into him walking her, dragging her across the high street when he’d sniffed the waffle stand out. Steph sympathised with him, but the leash burns on her hands that resulted did not.

“He’s a handful…” Angela started, but Damian turned to her with a fierce look in his face, one that mirrored the look he gave Bruce when he threatened not letting Damian go on patrol.

“I’ll be fine, I have a great dane at home. Please?” He asked, turning to Steph, and she hesitated, before shrugging.

“Okay. He’ll need a halter on, though.” Angela said, and Damian turned back to the cage, opening it quickly and laughing when Ace pushed into him. Steph wondered if the dog would be taller than Damian if he were to jump onto his hind legs, and the image of that made her smile.

They were ready to leave once Ace was, Steph holding three dogs in two hands, Damian gripping Ace’s lead tight with both of his, his face pure glee. They walked towards the direction of the path, Steph making Damian walk slightly in front of her and her dogs, careful of those around them.

Walking by herself was never a problem, but Damian Wayne doing anything except going to school or sitting at home always turned heads, and already Steph had spotted about three people with phones out, videoing or taking photos. Steph sped up so she was by his side, lucky he still hadn’t had any major growth spurt so they both fit on the path.

“I think Ace is looking out for you there. By now at least two people would have approached you.” Steph says, watching as Ace sniffs at a trashcan, and Damian looks up at her.

“I suppose.” He says, and Steph yells out, pulling on the lead of Mason who’s currently trying to eat a discarded potato chip packet. She stops them in their tracks, reaching into his mouth to pull it out, and mutters as she places it in one of the near trash cans.

“Naughty Mason.” She berates, and the poodle cross sends her a guilty look before trotting again, pulling against his lead so he can be in line with the other four dogs.

“So… How long have you worked at the shelter?” Damian asks, the six of them now off the main road.

“Oh. A few years? We had to do a volunteer thing as a project during high school and the shelter was something we could choose. I actually used to volunteer at the one on forty-fifth, but that one got shut down and merged with Angela’s, but Angela was real nice so I decided to just stay on.” Steph explains. Gotham Council had screwed a lot of businesses like that over the years, lack of planning and just no real care from the council members.

She didn’t say this, though. No eleven year old - even Damian - probably cared to hear her rantings and ravings about how much more crap the city had gotten. Cass would listen, and if Tim was ever around he’d butt in with his opinion, but talking about this stuff with the Wayne’s was always weird.

“How many dogs are there, in the shelter?” Damian asked, and Steph huffed out some air.

“Man… I dunno. Fifty is usually the cap but Angela tries to get around it; doesn’t want to put any of them to sleep.” Steph says, and Damian gives her a stern look.

“I know the meaning of euthanasia, Stephanie.” Damian says, and Steph rolls her eyes.

“Yeah, but you’re still only eleven Damian. Just because you fight crime at night doesn’t mean everything has to be business with you.” Steph explains.

“I don’t mind it. I’d rather have everything be business than be babied all the time.”

“No one would ever want to baby you, Damian. You’re a smart kid and everyone who’s ever met you knows this. But sometimes you need to just like… Play a video game. Scream at your brothers. Call your dad a butthead. And act sad when we talk about the unlawful deaths of dogs in shelters.” Steph says, reaching out to ruffle his hair, and Damian shoves her off but it’s gentle, and he’s looking at her skeptically.

“I suppose so.” He says, finally, and Steph nods. A few months ago, and her trying to breach this conversation with him would have led to him insulting her or threatening her life. They reached the park, and Steph was surprised to see that quite a few people were actually there - for the middle of Gotham, at least.

There were some girls sat in a circle together, and Steph noticed Damian tense before she noticed the Gotham Academy uniforms they were wearing. One of the girls lifted her head then, of course, spotting the two of them, and she raised her hand in a wave.

“Hi Damian!” She smiled, and Damian turned to Steph, urgent.

“We have to leave immediately.” He said, his voice slightly panicked, and Steph raised her brow.

“What? We just got here. You telling me you’re still in the girls have cooties phase?”

“Brown, I will end you.” Damian hissed, but it was too late, because the girl had already skipped up to them, standing some distance away due to the dogs, but still close enough for them to know she was here to see them.

“Hi Damian.” She smiled.

“Kelsey…” Damian said, and Steph could sense the tension radiating off him.

“Are these your dogs?” The girl asked, holding out her palm flat for Ace to sniff at her. The other three noticed too, all taking turns sniffing at the girl’s legs and arms, and when they’d all decided she was a non-threat, Kelsey leant down to scratch at them all, paying special attention to Lulu.

“They are… From the shelter. This is Stephanie, she’s my sister’s girlfriend.”

“Are you babysitting Damian? My older brother is over on that bench there, he’s watching me and the other girls.” Kelsey said, motioning over to the bench where some teenager in another Gotham Academy uniform was sitting, his phone in one hand and a badly concealed cigarette in the other.

Stephanie scrunched her nose, and turned back to the kids.

“I’m not his baby sitter. He’s just helping me walk the dogs.” Steph said, unsure if Damian was still a fan of lunging at people and tackling them if he disagreed with what they had to say. He seemed stuck on the spot though, intently looking on a piece of gum on the concrete path, Ace sitting practically on his feet as Kelsey swayed where she stood.

“Okay! Well, have a good afternoon Damian.” She said, parting with one final pat on Lulu’s head. Stephanie let Damian lead them again for the rest of the walk, conversation not picking up again until they were back at the shelter.

“Oh, Stephanie you didn’t have to take them for that long!” Angela said as they walked in, and Steph smiled at her as she unclipped the leads, her three dogs scattering to the back where their dinner waited. Damian hesitated in unleashing Ace, scratching him behind the ears.

“It was no problem, we had fun!” Steph said, passing the leads over. She looked at Damian, a questioning look on her face and he sighed, before undoing Ace’s halter.

“Well, same time next week?” Angela asked, and Steph nodded.

“Yeah. Sorry again that I had to bounce on my Wednesday’s.” Steph said, and Damian perked up.

“What do you mean?”

“I have a tutorial and finish late. Even I’m not crazy enough to walk this lot in the dark.” Steph explained.

“I’ll do it.” Damian offered, and Steph laughed.

“Yeah, right. Bruce had a heart attack when I told him you’d be coming out with me, there’s no way in hell he’ll let you walk in the city alone, and Alfred is too busy to go with you.” Steph said, and Damian crossed his arms, sulking.

That was one thing that sucked about the dog walking, how lonely it got. There was only so many times she could listen to her ‘Most Awesome Walking Playlist Ever’ without skipping every song, but everyone else always had their own thing to do. Except…

“You know, Tim doesn’t have anything on Wednesdays…”

“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.”

“Technically you just did, though.” Steph said, waving to Angela as she left, spying the Volvo pulling up to the kerb.

They were silent as they waited for Alfred to unlock the doors, and Steph was surprised when Damian slid into the backseat with her.

“Good evening, you two.” Alfred greeted, flicking on the indicator, and Steph said ‘hello’ as Damian just grunted.

It was a few minutes later into the ride when Damian spoke again.

“He wouldn’t come with me anyways, even if he had nothing on. He hates me.” Damian said, his voice sullen, and Steph was momentarily confused until she remembered what they had last been talking about.

“He doesn’t hate you. He’s just salty that he’s not the youngest anymore, which means he’s instead been hit with the good ol’ ‘middle child syndrome’, which means he acts like a dick to you because he feels you get everything he didn’t as well as all the attention.” Steph explained. She caught Alfred giving her a Look in the rearview mirror, which made her feel guilty, but the fact was Tim had been acting in an unnecessarily rude way towards Damian these past few months, and everyone was sick of it.

She couldn’t imagine how Damian may feel, but if this conversation was any indicator, it can’t have been a _nice_ feeling, thinking your new brother hated you.

“I’ll ask him for you, if you want. He actually used to walk them with me for a while, before…”

“Before you realised you were a lesbian? Todd likes to throw that around quite bit, actually. Though it is nice to see Cass get all happy when he does.” Damian sniffs, and Steph laughs. They’re approaching the driveway to the manor now, and Steph wonders what Alfred thinks of all this, if he’s even still listening at all.

“I’ll… Consider asking him. It shall depend on his behaviour until Wednesday morning.” Damian says, and Steph nods. Her job is done, and no one was severely injured or maimed in doing so. She counts that as a win.

The car rolls to a stop, and Damian sticks his head around so he can see through the windscreen.

“Father is home early!” He shouts, undoing his seatbelt quickly, and then he’s opening the door and jumping out, running into the house. Steph gets out slower, met with Alfred who closes her door for her.

“That was a kind thing you did for Master Damian, Miss Stephanie. I’m sure he appreciates it very much.” Alfred says, and Steph shrugs.

“You’ll be the only one to know, if he does.” Steph says. She doesn’t mind that she won’t get a thank-you or anything, but Damian shows his gratitude in other ways - she just hasn’t figured them all out yet.

She’s greeted by Cass when she walks through the door, who kisses her on the cheek and takes her hand, pulling her into the lounge. Bruce is there, sitting on one of the arm chairs, Damian perched next to him and telling him about his day. Tim’s on the small couch, laptop on his knees and using Titus as a leg rest, who’s snoring underneath him.

“Have a good afternoon?” Cass asks, pulling them down onto the big couch together, and Steph nods.

“Class was a bummer, but we had a nice walk.” Steph says, and Cass nods.

“Oh, wait. I left my stuff in the car, I need to get it out before Alfred parks it in the garage.” Steph says. She’s lost five percent in her psychology class already for being behind on readings, all because no one had been home to let her into the garage to get her book out of the Land Rover a few weeks ago. Her professor had just shrugged at her; _not her problem_.

Steph is digging around the boot when she heard footsteps on the gravel. They’re light, so she’s expecting Cass, but when she turns Damian is standing there.

“I wanted to know if I could have Angela’s phone number.” He says. Steph has an inkling feeling as to why he wants it, and wonders if he’s asked Bruce yet.

“I’ll text it to you.” Steph says, and he nods but makes no movement to go back inside.

“...Thank you. For this afternoon. It was… Pleasant.” Damian says, and Steph is shocked into silence. She thinks she’s hallucinating then, when Damian quickly wraps his arms around her mid-section and gives her a hug that lasts all of half a second. He turns back to the Manor, Steph struck into standstill, and the shock is broken when he calls back to her.

“Tell anyone, and I’ll tie you from the roof of the cave until your toes fall off.”

She smiles. Then grins, knowing exactly who showed him _that_ movie, and the ass kicking they’re going to get when she mentions it to Alfred.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It’s a few weeks later when she’s sitting on the armchair in the living room, flicking over her notes - because he, she does do her study - when there’s a yelp from the entranceway.

“Fucking- Dogs!” A gruff voice says, and Stephanie pops her head up. Bruce rarely swears, or he rarely used to swear, but there is one thing that ticks him off.

Ace and Titus come bounding in, fighting over a shoe Stephanie is sure costs more than a whole month’s worth of her and her mom’s rent, and Bruce walks in with a purpose after them.

“This is your fault.” He says, wrestling the chewed leather from the two dogs, pointing the shoe at her accusatory. Steph shrugs.

“I take no responsibility for shoes left out; Damian even posted it on the fridge.” Steph says. The two dogs have started play fighting with each other, and another ten minutes they’ll be asleep on the floor until Damian returns home from the shelter so they can greet him. Bruce grunts at her, examining the shoe with a pained look on his face.

“You’re staying for dinner?” He asks, and Stephanie nods.

“Thank you, Stephanie.” Bruce says, finally, and Steph doesn’t know what he’s thanking her for - though it’s not unwanted, there’s plenty she can think of - but she smiles at him.

"Anytime, B."

**Author's Note:**

> DC Exec: Tim hates his demon brother! Say it!  
> Me, willing to die for the greater good: No I Shan't!
> 
> Also, Bruce has to throw out three pairs of shoes until he decides to build a dog kennel by hand one weekend at Damian's insistence.


End file.
